Irene Lake vs Lobster Lake
Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.
Lobster Lake has a higher water quality grade (A, Excellent) than Irene Lake (B, Good). Both are in Douglas County, Minnesota.
Irene Lake and Lobster Lake are both in Minnesota — a same-state head-to-head where the comparison comes down to lake-specific differences in depth, watershed, and monitoring history rather than the broader state-level water-quality regime. The grades are close: Irene Lake (B) and Lobster Lake (A) are within one letter of each other on the LakeGrade rubric. The per-parameter sub-grades below will show where the small differences actually live.
With grades this close, the choice between the two lakes turns on non-water-quality factors: depth, fish species, public access, distance from home. The per-lake pages below cover all of those.
Irene Lake
Moderate clarity, visible to about 9.8 ft.
Lobster Lake
Good clarity, visible to about 13 ft.
Side-by-Side Metrics
| Metric | Irene Lake | Lobster Lake |
|---|---|---|
| Overall Grade | B (Good) | A (Excellent) |
| Water Clarity | 9.8 ft | 13 ft |
| Phosphorus | 24 µg/L | 20.5 µg/L |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | 7.4 µg/L | 3.6 µg/L |
| Maximum Depth | 44 ft | 65 ft |
| Surface Area | 639 acres | 1,334 acres |
| Public Access | Yes | Yes |
| Fish Species | 16 | 18 |
| Trophic State | mesotrophic | mesotrophic |
Bold value = better for that metric (lower phosphorus / chlorophyll = cleaner; higher Secchi / depth / species count = better).
Verdict
Lobster Lake wins on overall water quality with a Grade A versus Irene Lake's Grade B. Water clarity: 13 ft vs 9.8 ft. For fishing diversity, Lobster Lake also leads with 18 species.
Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.